Nicki Minaj, a pop singer from New York, is in the news again but this time the controversy is to do with the alleged infringement for copyright. The song in question is her commercially successful song Starships, from her second studio album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. Starships reached the number five spot on Billboard top 100, and was certified triple platinum in the United States.The infringement is being alleged by Clive Tanaka, a music artist originally from Chicago, and also involves the producer of Starship RedOne as well as the writers: Carl Falk, Wayne Hector and Rami Yacoub.
This case will be determined under the US jurisdiction, however if it was in the UK the question, as always, would be whether or not a substantial part of the material was copied. Upon listening to both songs, it would not be completely ridiculous to suggest that a reasonable man wouldn’t think that Neu Chicago had some influence on Starships. The similarities are made even more abundantly clear when you hear both songs at the same time, which can be done by clicking on this link.
Sources:
http://www.christianpost.com/news/nicki-minaj-sued-for-starships-does-clive-tanakas-neu-chicago-sound-the-same-listen-104410/
http://popdust.com/2013/09/11/clive-tanaka-neu-chicago-starships-nicki-minaj-lawsuit/
Link to songs:
Starships – Nicki Minaj – Warning: lyrics are clean but music video may not be appropriate for work
Neu Chicago – Clive Tanaka
